I hope you can join me September 25. Let’s talk about social media marketing strategy.
My plan is have a very interactive session to help local businesses develop and implement social media strategies to help them reach their goals.
My goal is to have you walk out of the session with a plan of action.

Tis the season for music festivals. The Social Media Tulsa team and I, just finished rocking social media for the Center of the Universe Festival in Tulsa, ok. Since then, we’ve had a lot of questions from other events and music festivals on how we did it and how we can help them. While I can’t promise you the same magic in a blog post that our team provides live, I can provide you with a few tips to help you rock social media for your festival.

10 Tips: How to Rock Social Media for Music Festivals

Before the Festival

1. Make your website the one stop shop. While we all love social media, your website should always be home base for information. Don’t make people search for information. 2. Go Mobile. Even if your website is responsive, wireless networks can get wonky when thousands of people are posting #selfies. A mobile app is a great way to send last minute changes and updates. Not to mention how much it saves you and the planet from printed programs. 3. Create a hashtag and stick with it. There’s a lot of debate about whether you should add the year to the end of your festival’s hashtag. My thoughts are, no. Your hashtag should be consistent for easy branding year after year. Examples: #COUFest #Coachella #SXSW #Boonaroo 4. Communicate early and often. There is never too much information when thousands of people are headed your way. Twitter, Google+, and Facebook are great for sharing band announcements, lineups, and security information. Don’t forget email. 5. Social Media Strategy. Secure your name and create a plan of action for all of the social networks you plan to use. This should be done as far in advance as possible. Planning for the next year starts when the last band says goodnight.

During the Festival

6. Social Media Command Center. Have one central location with a dedicated wifi connection for monitoring social accounts. Watch for last minute questions and comments and be prepared to answer them. 7. Photography Team. Make sure you have photographers scheduled during the festival to capture the moments. Bands, attendees, sponsors, etc. Real time sharing happens when photographers have access to the social media command center and work with the social media team. Note: think about the kind of shots you want to share through out the year. i.e #TBT #SelfieSunday #highfivefriday #FestivalFashion (create your own). 8. Video Team. Whether you’re live streaming or not, make sure you have a video team on site. Think about a highlight reel and how many youtube videos you can create from the footage. Don’t forget short form video for Instagram and Vine. 9. Social Media Teams during the festival. There should be a command center team responsible for social listening and responding. Posting highlights and important updates are also a role for the command center team. The social media strike team should cover real time action of the festival. Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, and Twitter are great because of their mobility. I like to treat Facebook as a highlight reel.

After the Festival

10. Post Festival Strategy. After the festival, organizers are swamped with interview requests, tear down, and just plain exhaustion. Now is not the time to let up on social. People are going through their phones and cameras sharing their favorite festival moments. Make sure you have a strategy to keep people engaged.

Don’t want to go it alone? Send me an email and we can talk about how we can Rock Social Media for your Music Festival. cheryl at partyaficionado (dot) com

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) ® today opened registration for the 2015 International CES®, the global gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. The event is scheduled January 6-9, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Attendees and media can register today at CESweb.org. Like last year, attendees can pick up badges at more than 25 designated locations in Las Vegas. Key pickup locations include McCarran International Airport baggage claim areas, official show hotels and 2015 CES exhibit venues. Attendees will receive a confirmation code upon completing their registration form in its entirety that will help expedite their badge pick up.The International CES draws more than 150,000 of the top industry executives, retail buyers, content providers, entertainment executives, venture capitalists, engineers, government officials and media from around the world.

“The 2015 International CES is the proving ground of innovation and this January’s event promises to be an amazing hands-on experience,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, International CES and corporate business strategy, CEA. “We encourage attendees to register now and to start making travel plans to ensure the greatest choice of flights and hotel rooms.”Attendees are encouraged to register in advance of CES to ensure quicker access to their badge on-site. Additional information on the 2015 CES, including hotel and airline information, can be found at CESweb.org. CES has room blocks at discounted rates, available for a limited time, at partner hotels throughout Las Vegas. It is important to make hotel reservations early to secure the best rates.Note to Media (That includes online media): Registration for credentialed media is free.

If all goes as plan, I’ll be back covering event tech, social media integration, and all that’s new in digital health. Will you be there? Register now and don’t forget to book your hotel early. Want my suggestions on where to stay? Ask in the comments below.

I attended the 2014, Demand Success conference hosted by my friends at Vocus. Their conference has changed quite a bit from the last time I attended. While there were sessions supporting Vocus products, Demand Success is now a full on Pr, Marketing, and Social Media conference.

Armed with my favorite tools for social media event coverage, I posted most of my experience live on Google+ and Twitter. I wrote about one of my favorite sessions over on the Social Media Tulsa Blog: The World’s Greatest Social Media Strategy. Go check it out and let me know what you think.

Name badge, agenda, and map. The colorful inserts also included information for downloading the
conference mobile app and of course the WIFI code and password information. The registration team was also very helpful throughout the conference.

2. The Wake up Call: An exciting opening act of drummers

3. Brand All the Things! Vocus is a master of branding. Why do I say that? Well, I’m posting a bathroom selfie. #nuffsaid.
4. Inspiration Board: Old School Twitter. A great way to connect us back to what inspired us from the conference.

5. Social Photo booth: Very popular these days. Loved the ability to email or share to social sites.

5. Books, Books, Books: While I’m a digital junkie, I love paper books (and magazines). A Great way to get speakers is to buy their latest book for attendees.

6. Location, Location, Location: It really can’t get better than this view from the Thursday night reception behind the Gaylord. Great to test out the panoramic feature on my smartphone camera.

These are just some of the highlights from my trip to Demand Success Conference 2014. Of course they had spectacular sessions, keynotes, charging stations, and Wifi that worked spectacularly. I’m glad I got a chance to attend. Kudos to Vocus for producing such a great conference.